Are individual and group treatments equally effective in the treatment of depression in adults?: A meta-analysis

Abstract

-Background and Objectives:It is well-established that psychological interventions are effective in the treatment of depression. However, it is not yet clear what the optima format is in which psychological treatments should be delivered. Although several studies have examined whether individual and group treatments are equally effective in the treatment of depression, no comprehensive meta-analysis has examined this.Methods: We searched major bibliographical databased and conducted a meta-analysis of 15 studies in which individual and group therapies were compared directly to each other.Results: The mean effect size indicating the difference between individual and group therapies in depressive symptomatology at post-test was 0.20 (95% CI: [0.05 0.35]; p < 0.01), in favor of individual therapies, with a lower drop-out rate in individual interventions (OR = 0.56; 95% CI: [0.37, 0.86]; p < 0.01). At follow-up no significant differences were found.Conclusions: Although individual therapy seems to be somewhat more effective than group therapy at the short term, it is not clear whether this is relevant from a clinical point of view. Because of the small number of studies and the limited quality, more research is needed to examine whether the difference between individual and group treatment is clinically relevant.

Psychological treatments for depression and anxiety disorders in low- and middle- income countries: a meta-analysis

“…This is consistent with literature indicating group interventions to be as efficacious as individual treatments for anxiety and depression. 22,54 A recent meta-analysis conducted on efficacy studies for depression did find a small difference favouring individual treatments in the short term 55 , but indicated that due to a small numbers of studies with limited quality this should be examined more thoroughly. Individual treatments are generally considered more time-consuming and costly and at first sight not ideal for low-income under-resourced countries.…”

CBT in Affective Disorders – New Frontiers

“…However, it seemed as if IPT was somewhat more efficacious (d = 0.20) whereas non-directive supportive treatment was somewhat less efficacious (d = -0.13) than the other treatments. Furthermore, it has been reported that the efficacy of group CBT (d= 0.15) does not significantly differ from the efficacy of individual CBT [27]. However, it has to be mentioned that the quality of the studies that have been included in the respective meta-analysis was rather low.…”

Cognitive–Behavioral Treatment of Depression in Men

“…However, it is currently unclear whether group intervention is more effective than individual treatment for either gender, let alone for men specifically. While Cuijpers, van Straten, and Warmerdam (2008) reported a small effect size in favor of individual over group treatment in their metaanalysis, clinical significance was questioned, differences were not evident at follow-up (1 and 6 months) and findings were based on a small sample. To summarize, a number of suggestions have been made to make the therapeutic environment conducive to positive engagement with men.…”